80 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT 
Tue Rowettr RESEARCH INSTITUTE.—The scheme for the promotion 
of scientific research, adopted by the Development Commission in 1912, 
made provision for the establishment of one or more institutes to carry 
out research in each of the main branches of agricultural science. The 
Rowett Research Institute had its origin in this scheme as one of the 
two institutes for the study of animal nutrition, the other, the senior 
institute, being established in connection with Cambridge University in 
1912. The governing body of the Rowett Institute was constituted in 
1913. It consists of ten members, four appointed by the Court of 
Aberdeen University, four by the North of Scotland College of Agri- 
culture, and two jointly by both bodies. Work was begun in April 1914, 
the use of laboratories and other accommodation being granted by the 
University and the College of Agriculture until the buildings required 
for the Institute could be erected. Dr. J. B. Orr was appointed in 1914 
to take charge of the work on animal nutrition, while joint work with the 
College of Agriculture and the University was also undertaken on soils 
and draining and Isle of Wight Bee Disease under the supervision of 
Prof. James Hendrick and Dr. John Rennie respectively. On the 
outbreak of war, the main research work and the arrangements being 
made for the development of the Institute were suspended, the subsidiary 
work on soils and bee diseases being carried out by the College of Agri- 
culture and the University on a modified scale. After work had been 
resumed in 1919 in a building erected for the purpose on the Craibstone 
estate belonging to the College of Agriculture, proposals were submitted 
by the governing body to the Development Commission for the further 
development of the Institute. The proposals included the provision 
of (1) central buildings with laboratories, animal houses, and other 
accommodation required for research in animal nutrition; (2) an 
experimental stock farm ; (3) a library and a statistical department. 
In 1920 Mr. John Quiller Rowett provided money to purchase 41 acres 
of land on which there was a suitable site for the central buildings, and 
gave in addition {£10,000 for capital expenditure. The building was 
begun in February 1921, and opened by H.M. Queen Mary on 
September 12, 1922. 
As soon as the scientific research work of the Institute had been organised 
arrangements were made for the development of the experimental stock 
farm. In 1922 a croft was leased and the buildings altered for animal 
experiments. In 1925 Mr. J. Duthie Webster made a gift of £10,000 
(afterwards increased to £12,000) for the purpose of establishing the 
Duthie Experimental Stock Farm as a memorial to his uncle, the late 
William Duthie of Collynie. The farm extends to about 600 acres, 
with hill pasture in addition, and has departments for dairy cows, beef 
cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. The east wing of the first floor of the 
central buildings was planned for a library and a part of the annual income 
of the Institute was devoted to the purchase of books and journals. In 
1923 Mr. Walter A. Reid, C.A., LL.D., gifted £5,000 to endow the 
library. Grants were also received from the Carnegie Trust and the 
Department of Agriculture for Scotland for books and equipment, and 
the library and statistical department were established. Arising from 
